Australian Army Journal

OPINION
Brothers and Sisters in Arms:
Experiences of Gay Soldiers in the
Australian Army
The history of exclusion to inclusion
This range of experiences belies the changes that have occurred in the Australian
Army over the past 27 years — changes that have seen Army policies shift
from exclusion to inclusion. From 1986 through to 1992, the Australian Defence
Force sought to exclude gay men and women from service. Defence Instruction
(General) Personnel 15-5 stated that homosexuality was prejudicial to effective
command relationships, a threat to national security, that it was unhealthy and that
it undermined the Australian Defence Force’s responsibility to protect minors from
aberrant behavior. A male warrant officer class two from The Royal Regiment of
Australian Artillery, now retired, wrote of his experiences during this time:
I kept my sexuality a secret because people were told back then that you
couldn’t trust a homosexual. I also loved my job and wanted to keep it so
I didn’t say anything … it was a different time … seeing how homosexuals
were treated back then was incentive enough not to let anyone know.
I relied on my mates and they relied on me … I knew they wouldn’t if they
knew I was gay.
For many gay soldiers serving today, these policies and beliefs have little bearing
on their daily work life. However, many still keep their sexuality hidden, compelled
to hide their sexuality in order to fit in. For these soldiers it would seem little has
changed. A male captain from The Royal Australian Corps of Signals, currently
serving, wrote about his efforts to hide his sexuality:
I know my boss is homophobic from the comments he makes at work …
if he found out I was gay I’d have no chance of getting on the trip next
year so I remain closeted … it’s something that I have to be careful about
because it’s easy to slip up when you’re talking about what you did on the
weekend, where you went and who you were with. I have to be vigilant all
the time … I know my rights but it’s just easier this way.
A female corporal from The Royal Australian Corps of Transport, currently serving,
also wrote about her efforts to fit in with the dominant heterosexual culture in the
workplace:
I keep my hair long because if a girl has short hair people always assume
she’s gay. I’d prefer people got to know me as a person before I told them I
was gay as their first impression of me as a gay Army chick isn’t good.
Australian Army Journal
Culture edition 2013, Volume X, Number 3 Page 216